Snow
by Foxieglove
Summary: Short oneshot fic. The Brotherhood spend Christmas at the Mansion, and wind up liking it. Well, almost all of them. A certain amphibian is stuck inside and kept out of the fun due to the cold weather. But not for long, if Kurt has anything to say about it


He didn't really mind being here, though he suspected it had less to do with Xavier's offer of truce between all mutants and more to do with Kitty-Kat giving Lance the big doe eyes. Over the phone. How the hell did chicks _do_ that?

Todd figured he ought to know and settled uncomfortably in the window seat, hands burrowed in his coat sleeves as far as he could get them. He didn't mind being here. Beat the hell out of sitting in a cold empty house with no heat, but damn if he didn't feel weird sitting inside a mansion with the kind of Christmas decorations he'd only seen in picture-books. A mansion that belonged to his former enemies. Yeah. Nothing awkward about that, no sir.

Outside, everyone was working off the enormous dinner they'd just consumed, cavorting around like morons, throwing clumps of snow and probably having a blast. He watched Scott wave his arms for attention while he shouted something. He got attention all right, probably not the kind he was hoping for. Todd snickered as Summers dove for cover a little too late, but it had worked to divide the zone of chaos in the yard into _two_ zones of chaos.

Snowball war. Huh. Now who didn't see that one coming? Todd settled into the window seat, sticking out his tongue in their general direction. He pulled the edges of the overlarge jacket Lance had made him borrow closer to his body, and decided he would just sit this one out like usual. Fools would come in freezing their asses off and he'd laugh at them, himself all nice and toasty. In this nice toasty . . . boring mansion.

"Why aren't you out there with us?"

Todd blinked and looked away from the window sharply to see a familiar blue shape standing next to him. The question caught him more off guard than NightCreeper's appearance.

"Cause," he replied, sullenly. He looked back out the window.

"Cause?" Kurt prompted. Todd didn't have to look at him to see the raised eyebrow and slightly tilted head.

"I just don't wanna."

". . ."

Todd turned his head at the lack of retort and Kurt was gone. Figured. And then suddenly something fuzzy was wrapped around his neck. It was followed by a hat jammed onto his head and two more items dropped in his lap. Todd blinked at the green scarf. "What the hell?" he asked, holding up gloves.

"They should help. Come on, five minutes. You don't like it, I'll take you back."

"Wait, dawg --"

"I promise," Kurt said, and his hands were on Todd's shoulders. Shit, that meant --

And Todd's ass was in the snow. "ACK!" he yelped and tried to get up. He floundered and sat back down, trying to draw his knees up and keep in the meager warmth he'd stored. Kurt, damn him, had his head back in the game, peering over the wall of the snow fort. "Dawg, take me inside!" he demanded, pulling on the gloves. "It's too freakin' cold!"

"You wanted outside," Kurt said, looking at him. Todd couldn't deny that.

"I . . . yeah, but it's --"

"Look, trust me, okay? I won't let you freeze to death." The elf's hands scooped up snow and rounded it into a ball, pressing it into Todd's gloved hand. "Now try to have some fun, _ja-ja_?" he teased, grinning cheekily. Todd immediately recalled the last time _he'd_ used German in front of Kurt and groaned.

The comeback on his lips died as something whizzed past their line of defense and thwapped him square in the face. Cold. Stinging. _Wet_. And there was familiar cackling.

Oh NO he _didn't._

"You gonna regret that, boy!" Todd yelled, glaring over the ice-wall at the culprit. He threw the snowball Kurt had given him only to see a spray of white fluff sail over the wall. Belatedly he realized he'd crushed the snowball in his rage. "Motherfuck--?"

And another one hit him in the face, knocking him backwards. Todd's legs went up and he let out a string of curses. Kurt couldn't help but burst out laughing, nearly falling over in the snow himself.

"Are you on my side or not, fool?" Todd snapped, gathering more snow. Fuck hypothermia. He was going to GET Pietro.

More than five minutes later, Todd was getting into the spirit of things and actually laughing despite the fact more missiles hit him than his targets. Pietro was untouched however and Todd was slowing down. Kurt happened to turn his head at just the right moment and his eyes widened.

"Todd!" He cried out in warning and lunged. Pietro was fast, but the bucket of watery slush he held was heavier than he had accounted for and his fingers had slipped twice while lifting it. That alone gave Kurt enough time to push Todd out of the way and take the full splash himself. And it gave Todd enough time to flick out a tongue and get Pietro's ankle and _pull_. Pietro slipped, yelled, and sent the bucket flying harmlessly toward Sam's head.

Todd was all over him in the next second, moving fast for a frozen amphibian, stuffing snow in Pietro's ears and jacket while thoroughly cussing him out. Kurt laughed like a lunatic, holding on to Pietro's ankles and shivering and Todd could barely be heard over Pietro's piteous shrieks. Lance finally came over and separated them. Then he did a double take.

"What the hell are you doing outside?" he snapped at Todd, ignoring the madly gibbering Pietro who was now clinging to his leg. Todd cringed, but not as much as Kurt. "You already forget what happened with Arrowrose, you little idiot?"

"So I ran outta cab money. I made it back just fine!"

"Like hell you did." Lance muttered, remembering something entirely different.

"Well, I'm okay now. Really, yo."

Lance snapped his fingers in front of Todd's face. The boy blinked, a little too slow in reaction. "Get him inside," he snapped at Kurt. The elf got up, concerned and guilty and eager to get out of Lance's sight. Before he could port the both of them, Todd knelt down and ruffled the hell out of Pietro's hair.

"No hard feelings, right dawg?" Todd drawled, grinning.

"I'm gonna s-so f-fucking g-get you--" Pietro hissed, not relinquishing his death-grip on Lance.

The rest of his threat was cut off. Todd found himself back inside. He was seated in front of the fire and felt his hat removed followed by his sopping-wet coat and scarf and gloves. A towel rubbed at his hair and there was noise for a while until he realized it was the sound of Kurt apologizing. And Todd realized he hadn't really moved or responded since he'd been sat down in front of the hearth. He looked over at Kurt, who's teeth were only lightly chattering now.

"Yo, Kurt?"

The elf paused, staring. And Todd realized it was the first time he'd used the German's name.

Todd couldn't think of anything to say for another moment as Kurt kept wide yellow eyes on him, slowly returning to the task of drying off his hair.

"Don't ever apologize for that, okay?" he muttered.

"Hmm?" Kurt's voice still had a trembling anxiousness to it, as though not certain Todd would really be okay.

"You know how many years it's been I wanted to go out in the snow? Let alone do somethin' like that to Maximoff?" Todd asked, blissfully. And he heard Kurt snort in amusement, starting to relax.

"Pretty long I'm guessing."

"Yeah. Just for that? I ain't gonna let Lance kill you."

"Thanks." Kurt didn't sound impressed or grateful, but he was definitely no longer on edge.

Todd leaned his head back as Kurt worked. He could feel the blood return to his fingers and toes slowly, but he was content to sit here until it did. And he suspected he was still grinning like a bastard. Damn it. This meant he had to like the elf now, didn't it?

"No, dawg," he murmured. "Thank _you_."


End file.
